what anime should I start collecting?

[Chun-tzu]

Rurouni Kenshin is cool, although you could just watch it on CN

Although I'm glad to see Kenshin getting more exposure, the voice acting in the English version is terrible. The delivery is sometimes bad, the wording is often awkward, and the voices they chose are sometimes bad choices (Sojiro, the right hand of Makoto Shishio is a prime example of this). The subtitled version is SO much better than the dubbed.

 

[jdavis]

Although I'm glad to see Kenshin getting more exposure, the voice acting in the English version is terrible. The delivery is sometimes bad, the wording is often awkward, and the voices they chose are sometimes bad choices (Sojiro, the right hand of Makoto Shishio is a prime example of this). The subtitled version is SO much better than the dubbed.

It's also edited on Cartoon Network but beggers can't be choosers. With 95 episodes it would be expensive to get them all on DVD.

 

[Pants]

It's also edited on Cartoon Network but beggers can't be choosers. With 95 episodes it would be expensive to get them all on DVD.

Heh, I'll take what I can get as I am very poor right now (I can't even afford the last two Berserk DVD's )
Inu Yasha is great fun, but the DVD releases have been horribly slow and horribly expensive.
I'm really digging Gundam SEED, but it isn't out in America yet (nor is it finished in Japan).

 

[Chun-tzu]

I've only seen the first few episodes of Gundam Seed, but it looks pretty good.

I've seen the first six episodes of the new Ninja Scroll TV series, based on the anime and by the same creator, but to be honest, I'm disappointed. The fight scenes aren't nearly as smart as the movie, and Jubei doesn't seem as noble. The only thing they transferred over was killing all these freaky demon creatures, but that's not what made Ninja Scroll great.

I hear there's a new Fist of the North Star out, but I don't think it's been fan-subbed yet. Looking forward to that. The original manga was pretty cool, and this was a classic begging to be remade.

The new Macross OAV is pretty good. Only seen the first, but it ranks with Macross Plus, and is way better than Macross 7.

Edit - Oh, I've also seen the new Astro Boy cartoon. Looks pretty good.

 

[Alzrius]

Enchantress, you'd help us help you a lot more if you told us the sort of thing you liked, I mean in terms of genre; anime covers every genre there is, and a significantly large portion has deep characters and good plotlines.

I'll add my vote to Rurouni Kenshin. While the anime isn't nearly as good as the manga (which I'm reading now - curse the animators for leaving out Enishi and crew!!), it's still quite good. As was said, the Kyoto Chronicles part is quite possibly the single best part of the entire series (having to work through what is a horribly large number of filler episodes to get there after the first arc of introducing the characters is over). The series is relatively fast-paced, but retains great character development. While there is a lot of fighting, its done very well, with emphasis on style and skill over power.

Fruits Basket is a romantic comedy. It's about this homeless girl who lives with the family of one of her classmates. She discovers that they have a curse that when they become nervous or are touched by a member of the opposite sex, they turn into an animal of the zodiac.

Ushio & Tora - I'm going out on a limb recommending this one. Only ten episodes of this exist as an anime, and it's not a title most people are immediately familiar with. I've only seen the first two episodes myself. I recommend it simply because I've been collecting the manga of it for a while now and I'm deeply hooked on it. It's the story of a boy who discovers that there is a demon imprisoned under his family's shrine by a powerful magic spear, when he's forced to remove the spear to combat other demons, he and the monster there form an unlikely friendship. The quality of the anime seemed to be a bit less than the manga, but it was still good, IMHO.

I don't think its available "above board" in America yet, but Azumanga Daioh is a very popular anime, despite being less than a year old. While the series has no intrinsic, underlying plot, its the story of a group of high school girls, displayed in an very well-done comedic fashion. We just follow them throughout their high school career as they live their lives. Don't expect drama or angst; this is all comedy. The best way I can describe this is that its an anime "show about nothing".

Hellsing - this dark thirteen-episode series is an action anime that takes place in contemporary Britain. Alucard is a vampire who works for the Hellsing organization, a group that eliminates undead activity in Britain. Along with fighting other vampires and their minions, they also face the papal organization Iscariot, which takes a much more fanatical stance on eliminating vampires, bringing the two organizations into conflict since Hellsing has a vampire working for it.

Cowboy Bebop - this highly acclaimed series is a space opera that has incredible characterization, and a plot that, although only developed a little, is incredibly well done. This series takes palce in the future, following a group of bounty hunters aboard the ship Bebop. Most of the episodes are largely independant of one another, and the series plays that as a strength, with some episodes that are hysterically funny, and others that are dark and quite frightening. The characterization displayed is rivalled by only a few other anime, and the soundtrack is impressive beyond words. I cannot recommend this series enough. If you only buy one anime series this year, bu this one!

Neon Genesis Evangelion - If you want deep plotlines and good characters, this is the series for you, bar none. This series has been hailed as the best anime to come out in the entirety of the 1990's, and it earns it. The series takes place in 2015. At the end of the 20th century, a cataclysm wiped out half the world's population. Now, unknown creatures have begun to attack humanity, and giant robots called Evangelions are used to fight them. For unknown reasons, only certain, special children can pilot the robots. I'll say it again, this series is excellent. The characters are incredibly well-developed, and the plotline even more so. This is not something you want to miss.

 

[Pbartender]

I'm quite partial to anything made by Hayao Miyazaki...

Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, Lupin III, Warriors of the Wind, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro...

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

Well Anime series that I have enjoyed are:

Cowboy Bebop (My absolute favorite)
Trigun
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Martian Sucsessor Nadesico
Rurouni Kenshin
Yu Yu Hakusho

Those are some of my favorite anime series.

 

[TiQuinn]

Anything by Hayao Miyazaki is a must see.

Though I've heard it's good, I just can't bring myself to watch something called "Cowboy Bebop".

 

[Sixchan]

If you like Sci-Fi type stuff like star trek and star wars, I'd recommend Martian Successor Nadesico. It's a great parody of that kind of stuff, as well as a parody of war in general.

Bubblegum Crisis is also very good, and something I'd advise you to take a look at, but avoid Bubblegum Crash at all costs.

 

[WizarDru]

I'll have to go against the grain and say that Rurouni Kenshin left me cold. The first five episodes became very predictable to me, and I wasn't terribly interested in the story. From what I hear, the pattern continues on further on down the line, so I didn't really get into it.

Series I would highly recommend:

Trigun: Alternately funny and tragic, it's a show with a wonderful story and interesting cast.

Rahxepon: Kind of like Evangelion, if it was a LOT more fun. Very pretty, too.

Nadeisco: The king of anime that deconstructs anime. Many in-jokes, extremely silly at times (such that it has a hard time packing a punch when it tries to be serious) and an english dub that actually captures the zany nature of the dialogue.

Vandread: Amusing sexual politics, outstanding Gonzo CGI, and an inspired plot make for one of the most fun series around. A sexy exterior covers up a suprisingly deep set of characters. The kind of show I can watch over and over.

ANYTHING BY HAYAO MIYAZAKI: Be it Castle Cagliostro or Spirited Away, each film his hand has touched is gold. Truely one of the great Sensei's of anime, and a man who understands the difference between childish and child-like.

Ushio and Tora: For some reason it never caught on as big in the states as I expected, the tale of a boy and his captive demon is pretty amusing.

Cowboy Bebop: The anime you can show non-anime fans, and they'll enjoy. It's cool, it's hip and it's got some of the best writing in anime. You'd be doing yourself a disservice to miss it.

Giant Robo: The first of the 'remake' animes of recent years, and still the king. Giant robots in battle! Superheroes going toe to toe! The world in peril from it's greatest asset! A twisty-plot that tricks you left and right! This is the stuff, baby.

Big O: New School giant robots. Deep mystery, a noir attitude and fun Fun FUN! And the sequel's gonna be here soon.

How's that for starters? You want more? I got a ton.